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Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia

This publication is the first UN-led effort to make a comprehensive assessment of the state of transboundary surface and groundwater resources in the Middle East. It follows a standardized structure, with eight surface water chapters and 19 groundwater chapters that systematically address hydrology, hydrogeology, water resources development and use, international water agreements and transboundary water management efforts. The chapters cover all rivers and groundwater resources shared between Arab countries in the Middle East and include data on water resources that are shared with Iran, Israel and Turkey. Boasting over 50 new maps and 200 figures, tables and boxes with recent, comprehensive data series, the Inventory provides an up-to-date view of the state and evolution of shared water resources in the region.

Wadi Sirhan Basin: Tawil-Quaternary Aquifer System

The Wadi Sirhan Basin is situated in Jordan and Saudi Arabia and forms a central depression surrounded by basalt and sedimentary plateau areas in the north and south. The basin surface is covered by Paleogene and Quaternary deposits, which make up the upper part of the exploited aquifer system. In the subsurface, thick deposits of Cretaceous and Tawil- Sharawra Formations occur in the depression and along the boundaries of the aquifer system. They constitute the lower part of an aquifer system that is denoted as the Tawil-Quaternary Aquifer System in this Inventory.